


The Ground Beneath His Feet

by JeevasManXIII



Category: Samurai Warriors
Genre: Follows SW4 canon with historic things mixed in, M/M, Takatora's feelings for Yoshitsugu may or may not go beyond friendship but he loves him all the same, This is a third person narrative with insight to Takatora's personal thoughts and feelings, Yoshitsugu/Mitsunari is slightly hinted at
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-01-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 17:57:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3177981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeevasManXIII/pseuds/JeevasManXIII
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yoshitsugu had always been a drifter, Takatora just never thought he'd be the one left behind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ground Beneath His Feet

Takatora hadn’t always gotten along with Yoshitsugu. He used to dislike the latter’s ability to keep calm and rarely speak his mind, the polar opposite of Takatora. However, Takatora soon learned to respect that self-control, it had saved him many times and helped him out of numerous situations. Yoshitsugu always kept him grounded, and he was grateful for that- not that he’d ever admit it to anyone.

When their shared lord fell at the hands of Nobunaga, they decided to split up due to their opposing views. Going their separate ways wasn’t easy, but it was the best compromise the two had found. For a time, Takatora and Yoshitsugu had no contact.

But as fate would have it, they both decided to join the Toyotomi, and thus were reunited.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first time they met after years of separation, neither had seemed to change. This time, however, Yoshitsugu had someone else who he was close to, someone who was involved in many rumours about him. Takatora himself did not know the extent of the relationship between the two, and he hoped the sinking feeling he had whenever he saw them together was just him thinking the worst.

The stories concerning Mitsunari’s relationship to Yoshitsugu were whispered amongst the servants, and for Takatora, that didn’t do much to help his suspicions.

Under the Toyotomi, they were able to fight side by side like they used to, but Takatora soon came to realize that the familiar feeling of their camaraderie was missing. _Something_ in Yoshitsugu was different from before. Takatora couldn’t explain it, but it felt as if Yoshitsugu was far away, instead of right next to him. He eventually found out _part_ of the reason from a handmaiden of Yoshitsugu’s. Yoshitsugu was very ill, and his body’s strength was growing worse as time went on. By always covering most of his body, he had hidden his condition well, so few actually knew about it.

Takatora didn’t blame him for keeping it a secret, but no amount of rationalization could stop the ache in his chest he got whenever he thought about how Yoshitsugu had never told him.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was inevitable, but Takatora had secretly hoped it wouldn’t come to this. Takatora’s loyalty was with the Tokugawa, and Yoshitsugu had remained with the Toyotomi after Hideyoshi’s untimely death, his close ties with Mitsunari keeping him there. Takatora continued to dwell on the reason for Mitsunari being chosen over him, he even sent a letter to Yoshitsugu, pleading for his allegiance, but, Yoshitsugu never wrote him back. So when the clash of their lords led them to be on opposing sides, Takatora resolved himself to have no regrets.

Each had their own reasons, and Takatora could live with that. He instead focussed on how he had never actually faced Yoshitsugu, and although he knew what could happen, Takatora rushed into battle with a feeling of excitement mingled in with his fears.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On September 15, 1600, the battle of Sekigahara was a major victory for the Tokugawa. For Mitsunari’s forces, however, it was a crushing defeat. Many lives were lost in this battle, among them was said to be Yoshitsugu.

Takatora couldn’t believe it, he _wouldn’t_ believe it, but when the news of Yoshitsugu’s suicide reached him, he had no other choice but to try and accept his friend’s fate.

He demanded to bury Yoshitsugu himself though, and when his eyes first glanced over the cloth covering Yoshitsugu’s body, he felt something inside his chest break. Even if they had been apart, Yoshitsugu was still the one thing that had always grounded him, and now, Takatora was burying him. Regretfully enough, the humble grave could never properly represent the precious life that had been lost, but Takatora supposed it would have to do.

“Yoshitsugu Otani,” a man who he had never given up on through their time together and their time apart, a man who was now gone.

Takatora Todo moved forward, never looking back- never to utter that name again. 

**Author's Note:**

> ......so I read up on Yoshitsugu's life and it was all really interesting, I even teared up a few times. I really wanted to write something about him through another character, and what better character than Takatora? Historically there aren't records of them interacting much, as Yoshitsugu never actually served the Azai, but I kept that for this story because that's where their relationship (romantic or not) started in SW4. 
> 
> I didn't want to write a reenactment of Yoshitsugu's death scene from the game, so I generally stuck to what's historically accepted about it. I feel bad that I wasn't able to include how Yoshitsugu is pretty much blind by Sekigahara, so I may have to write something else with that....
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece, and I apologize for any sad feels this might have caused.


End file.
